Odell Curmudgeons Nip

Brewed by Odell Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

In the bottle. 2004 vintage. A very dark amber color with no head. Woody aroma. Oak flavor with raisins. Big bubbles, strangely carbonated for the style. I like!

Bottle (from ’98)... .. Reddish Brown w/ Fast tan head. .. … Malty aroma, very sweet, carmel candy smell. .. .. Carmelly, malty, smooth, long sweet finish. YUMMY! Not much hops, but enough to sort of balance the sweetness. .. .. Lt carbonation, Heavy body - mouth coating. .. .. Wow, unbelievably smooth and malty. . ... .. . Very smooth and tasty Barleywine. Age is king!!

Clear, crimson coloration, slim, soon-gone beigish head. Aroma is rosy, fruity, deep, redolent of brandy, whiskey, port wine, flush with dark, fruity flavors, plums, cherries, melons, more. Very nice. Smooth on the tongue, at first, but an burnished feel arrives quickly, accompanied by the full alcoholic attack. No ABV on the label...wonder why?...but it feels awfully strong. Between 9 and 11%, I’d guess. Rich flavor, abundant texture, full bodied, inordinately tasty. Perfect for slow, purposeful sipping, tiny nips now and then, in between contemplation, rumination, cogitation, stuff like that. We curmudgeon’s need our nips, and this guy does the trick. Slick feel in the finish, almost medicinal, like cherry cough syrup, but it rescues itself ably, and maintains it’s ground as an elixir that conjures philosophical feelings from the most misanthropic of all of us.

Aged for about 10 months before opening. This beautiful ale is sitting in front of me right now! I’m excited. Pours a dark magenta in color with a white head that diminishes quickly and leaves small islands floating on the beer and a nice ring around the glass. Some lacing but the head fell to such a small size and it was nearly impossible for a decent lace to occur. Too bad, i’m a sucker for a good lace. A nice nose on this one! Almonds abound with figs and plums. Alcohol extreamly evident in the nose as well. As I am sipping on this I am wondering what this is doing to my stomach. This tastes fantastic but my stomach seems to be trying to lure me away from this ale. I have to keep going. It tastes so good. Nice bounteous mouthfeel with lovely hints of plums, raisins, figs, rich malts and a nice bitter hop finish. Alcohol is warming and dominant especially as this ale warmed to room temperature. Absolutely fantastic flavor.

This was a 12oz bottle from 2003 that I got in a trade from bditty187. A slow forming beige head finally rose to a little over half an inch over deep thick brownish red body. The head died quicker than it formed leaving no lace in its demise. Aroma of sweet malt with notes of various dark fruits rose from the glass with hints of molasses and a touch of alcohol in the mix. This has a sticky sweet flavor that seemed to stay in your mouth for a while and also had dark fruit notes. Quite a warmer too as I warmed up real quick drinking this and it had a bit of an alcohol bite to it as well but not too much. Aftertaste was a bittersweet fruity one that was quite good. About a medium body with a sticky feel to it that warms you up nicely. Very tasty stuff here that I could drink a few of. Balanced enough that the sweetness is not overbearing. Give it a shot if you can find it.

Bottle 2003 vintage poured a clear mahogany with a small disapating amber head. Aromas of dates, fig, carmel, toffee, pepper and a hint of mocha. Palate was medium to full bodied smooth and warming. Flavors of carmel, toffee, dark fruit, pepper and light spice with a smooth warming lingering bittersweet finish.
One of the best beers I’ve had from Odells but I’m sure the ageing helped.

This beer pours an unblurred burnished copper to mahogany color with a modest head that is frothy in texture and the residual lace a fine covering sheet upon the glass. Nose is sweet malt, caramel, with hints of almonds fresh and inviting with the start quite sweet, thickly malt, and the top middling in its feel to the palate. Finish is pleasantly carbonated, the hops spicy and not overbearing, but the aftertaste has a definite alcohol bite and a big time “Belly Warming” is felt almost immediately. No mistaking this for anything but a “Big Bad Boy Barley Wine” and I get to thank my “Most Favorite Bartender” Melody from Papago Brewery for bringing me this bottle from Colorado.

Honey golden brown in color. Couldn’t get much of a head on this and left very minimal lacing. Nose is earthy with some caramel, biscuit and pine-like notes. Quite a bit of sweetness up front and finishes with a bitterness that lingers on the palate. Alcohol makes it’s presence known in this one as well. I haven’t had a ton of barleywines, but this is one of the better ones I’ve had.